WWE Royal Rumble Preview and Predictions

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Hello again, gerweck.net readers! Tomorrow night, WWE will present us with the twenty-sixth annual Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View event. Currently, there are four matches scheduled for the card, and one scheduled for the preshow. Without any further delay, here are my official previews and predictions for the matches:

Pre-Show Match:WWE United States Championship Match: Antonio Cesaro (c) vs. The Miz:
This feud has sparked up in recent weeks. Cesaro has beaten every American that he has defended the title against, but will The Miz be the man to end that streak? I do not believe so. I still believe they will be returning Jack Swagger as a face soon to take on Cesaro. In the meantime, this is a pretty fun filler feud with The Miz. The match should get the crowd warmed up for the actual PPV, and in the end, Cesaro will retain the title.Prediction: Antonio Cesaro retains the WWE United States Championship.

WWE Tag Team Championship Match: Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars:
Team Hell No was a much-needed addition to the dwindling tag team division in the WWE. They have been entertaining since their inception. Enter Team Rhodes Scholars; a team formed last year that has been on the rise ever since. The last time these two teams met on PPV, Team Rhodes Scholars won by disqualification. This should be a pretty back-and-forth contest throughout, and could be a fun opener for the crowd (not counting the pre-show match). In the end, I see Team Hell No retaining the titles.Prediction: Team Hell No retains the WWE Tag Team Championship.

World Heavyweight Championship Last Man Standing Match: Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. The Big Show:
I was shocked when I read the spoilers that said Del Rio won the title on a rare TV title change. I thought maybe Show was injured or something. As it turns out, Show’s contract had expired, and at the time of the decision to put the strap on Del Rio, he hadn’t re-signed. Now, he has and we have our rematch for this Sunday. The little feud that has developed between these two has been a refreshing one, especially since Del Rio is coming into his own as a face. I would like to see Del Rio get a lengthy run as a face with the title, and I think it will continue at the Rumble when he retains the title.Prediction: Alberto Del Rio retains the World Heavyweight Championship.

WWE Championship Match: CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock:
Due to the caliber of this match, I could see it happening after the Rumble Match. I don’t think it will, but there is that possibility. Honestly, the winner of this match isn’t as clear-cut as most people think it is. The possibility of CM Punk retaining is up there. Personally, I hope he does. There is preliminary talk of having CM Punk take on The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Could you imagine how much more meaning that match would have if CM Punk would be defending the title that he would be holding for his 504th consecutive day at that point with a chance to make it 505 and end The Deadman’s streak? That has so much more appeal than just CM Punk vs. The Undertaker, right? Anyway, as for the match at the Rumble, I’m going with Punk retaining. I do think The Rock will win the title before Mania and ruin my hopes of what I mentioned earlier with Punk and Taker, but I don’t think it will be at the Rumble. Punk retains in controversial fashion.Prediction: CM Punk retains the WWE Championship.

Royal Rumble Match:
The Royal Rumble Match is the one match a year where I make an exception for my “I’m not going to predict a winner because I don’t know who all will be in the match” rule. I could go the easy route and pick John Cena, Randy Orton, or Sheamus. Those three seem to be the most hyped of anyone in the Rumble, which leads me to believe that none of them will win it. We’re definitely going to see some returns, and we’ll see the annual classic Rumble moment (i.e., like Kofi Kingston’s handstand on the floor last year). As for the winner, I am going out on a limb and will say the man that will enter at either the number one or number two spot will go on to win the Rumble. That man being Dolph Ziggler.Prediction: Dolph Ziggler wins the 2013 Royal Rumble.

Well, there you have it. My official previews and predictions for the first Pay-Per-View on the Road to WrestleMania. Leave feedback to the site on Twitter (@gerweck), to myself on Twitter (@TheMichaelRiba), or in the comment box below! As always, gerweck.net will be providing live, on-going coverage of the big show tomorrow night, so join us here!